Buffalo Grove Nurse Dies in Fall At Grand Canyon

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Nearly $9,000 has been raised in three days for the family of a young Buffalo Grove man who recently fell to his death while hiking at the Grand Canyon at Mather Point, a scenic Grand Canyon viewpoint located along the South Rim of the canyon. Andrey Privin, 24, fell 500 feet while visiting Grand Canyon National Park, according to media reports. The recent Loyola University grad had been working as a patient care technician at Highland Park Hospital, but had been hired on as a nurse and planned to start his new duties Monday, according to the Daily Herald and Privin’s Facebook page.

The trip to the Grand Canyon was meant to be a break for Privin before he started work as a nurse, according to the Daily Herald. Privin is a 2012 graduate from Buffalo Grove High School.

"This was a shock on many levels for us. He would have been a wonderful nurse," Martha Sussman, a registered nurse at Highland Park Hospital, told the Daily Herald. "He was a wonderful friend. He was a good person, and it's a huge loss.”

The 500-foot fall occurred Tuesday, July 3, after Privin reportedly climbed over a railing at Mather Point, a scenic Grand Canyon viewpoint on the southern portion of the canyon. He lost his footing and fell to his death, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, AZ.

An online fundraiser set up on Friday has brought in over $8,700 as of Sunday night. The money raised via the GoFundMe page will help pay for funeral expenses.

A funeral ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Colonial - Wojciechowski Funeral Home of Niles, 8025 W. Golf Road in Niles. A memorial service will be held at Vernon Cemetery, 15215 Cemetery Road in Lincolnshire, at 1 p.m.

GoFundMe is a Patch Partner

Photo via GoFundMe